True Colours
by KShade
Summary: Shaylin/Aurox and canon. After Hidden, the House of Night is a little shaken up, even more so when Zoey discovers that Aurox is a different guy from Heath, and Neferet will stop at nothing to kill those who saw what happened in her appartment. Not to mention, what happens when Erin discovers that Dallas never really loved her?
1. A friend?

**Hi everyone. This is a fic about my current OTP, Shaylin and Aurox. It takes place after Hidden, and, while it centers on them, it will also be featuring the other canon characters. A lot of these chapters will be similar to the ones form 30 days of HoN, but they have, in fact, been edited greatly to further my storyline… hence why I haven't just posted like 12 chapters at once.**

_Aurox_

"Heath was my humanity. And now it looks like he's become your humanity." said Zoey, being ridiculously ambiguous

I looked at the boy in the mirror. He looked happy, and he was openly looking over at Zoey. "What does this mean?" I asked, wondering why he was staring at her with that expression of adoration.

"It means that you're not just Neferet's vessel." The red fledgling with us spoke "Heck, you're not really a vessel because you have a soul. That's how it works, right?" She asked Thanatos, popping her long brown hair into a ponytail, and fixing her chocolate-coloured eyes on me, with a gaze that felt like it was seeing to my soul.

Thanatos smiled at her "Use your gift, child. You're the only one who can know." And again with these people and their ambiguity! I wondered if I was the only one here who gave straight answers.

"Stark and I have to take Grandma home now." Zoey announced. Before Grandma left, she gave me a hug and told me I was always welcome to visit her. I would have to take her up on that. I felt like I could talk to Grandma, like she was the only one who saw me as Aurox, rather than a vessel or Heath.

Once Zoey and Stark had driven off, thus stopping me from _ever_ learning who Heath is, Thanatos decided to take us all to the House of Night. The red fledgling with the 'gift' excitedly volunteered to drive.

"Why does driving excite you?" I asked, wondering if that was her gift.

"Because I couldn't see until I was Marked, and I just got my licence, so it's new to me." she replied, smiling even bigger, despite the obvious pain on her face, from being slammed against the elevator doors.

"Nyx restored your sight?" I asked perplexedly. Why would one human's ability to see be important to a goddess? Maybe just seeing was her gift, and Thanatos had merely been implying that she had to use her eyes to see the answer. I damn well didn't know, so I doubted that.

"Nyx gave me the True Sight." She responded (finally, an answer that actually told me something) "I can see things about people. Like colours around them." She elaborated

"What do you see when you look at me?" I asked, feeling hesitant to hear what she'd say, but knowing I had to know what, who I was, and this girl, whatever her name was, was probably the only one that could help me to answer that.

Thanatos heard my question. "Shaylin, you drive Aurox, I'll make arrangements for everyone else." Shaylin! That was the girl's name! I thanked whatever god or goddess would hear me for Thanatos using her name. Not to mention that she arranged for me to go with the one girl who held the answers I seeked.

"Thank you Thanatos." I whispered, trying to voice my gratitude. We descended the stairs in silence, or, close to silence, because Shaylin was humming a gentle melody. It filled the staircase and covered up the pain she was feeling from the bruising on her back as she tried to walk. Being a vessel, I could feel it.

Shaylin and I got into the car, a small, nondescript dark blue car. "When I look at you, I see a light. That's everything good in you, and it gets brighter as time goes on." She explained abruptly, once we were out of earshot.

"But" I guessed, knowing there were other things that I wasn't going to like to hear. There had to be, I was a killer. I fed off agony, despair and hatred. I was made from Darkness.

"But, the other colours around that are… confusing. Sometimes you're sort of coppery, with little flecks of green and blue, other times you're sort of swirly shades of fish-eye white. The thing is, when you saved Zoey, you shifted, but you stayed oddly on the border between copper and white. The elements were enough to keep you in control." Shaylin explained "And the other thing is, other people's colours leak into yours, like water colour paints that someone added too much water to. So, you have to be careful who you spend time with." She merged onto the highway, gritting her teeth as she slowly sped up.

A truck zoomed in front of Shaylin's small car, screaming profanities. Shaylin 's eyes widened "Either they're fifty miles over the speed limit, or I'm going seriously slow." She looked down at the speedometer and gradually accelerated, clearly being slower than she was supposed to be going.

"So, are you staying at the House of Night?" She asked once she got used to going at this speed, still only a fraction of that of the other cars.

I shrugged "If Thanatos will permit me." I replied, wondering if she would actually let me stay. After all, I was dangerous, and I didn't want to needlessly endanger these people.

Shaylin pulled over "She will. I told her what I saw and she decided to let you stay." She got out of the car. "Let's get a coffee or something. I kind of need a break from driving." She confessed, blushing, as though her driving performance was something to be ashamed about. The way I saw it, it got me there in one piece, and I was yet to shift, so it was good enough for me.

"I don't have any money" I admitted sheepishly, wondering why I couldn't have found some form of change at some point, so I could at least contribute.

Shaylin shrugged "I didn't expect you to. From what I've heard you haven't existed for all that long yet." She commented nonchalantly, as though making a remark about the weather or something equally trivial.

That was an odd thing to say. True, but odd, and her nonchalance was surprising. I nodded "you say that like it's nothing." I remarked

"You seem like you're older. And, I guess it doesn't hugely affect me, since I've only known you for a few hours." She smiled "plus, it's a beverage, not a life-debt."

"But you told me what you saw. That changed my life. If I had any money, I'd owe you at least this." I explained , feeling like Shaylin had offered me a life line and I had nothing to give back.

"And I'd do it any number of times again." She smiled "it's kind of what True Sight is about." She added, wincing a little as we ascended a small set of stairs leading into the small, nondescript shop.

I could feel her happiness at the fact that everything had been fine. It was like a cloak, enveloping me in warmth. I was starting to see what Shaylin had meant by being careful who I spent time with. If this was what light was like, I liked it. Joy was warm and comforting, unlike the way despair had been like nails scratching all over me, provoking me and fuelling the beast.

She looked around the room and then grinned "I think my colours are rubbing off on you." She whispered, trying not to let the rest of the world hear what was sure to be an odd conversation between a shape shifter and a fledgling with the True Sight.

The happiness was amazing "Is this what your life is like?" I asked incredulously "all the joy and the happiness?" I hoped so, because if so, I never wanted to leave these people I'd sided with in today's battle.

"Not always. Like now, I'm extra-happy, because we won, and no one died. But I tend to be the happy type" she explained "particularly now that I can see. Not to mention, being around friends."

Friends? I was going to need some—wait, she said I was her friend! This must be incredible, living like this. We neared the front of the line. The cashier was short, with dark hair and grey-blue eyes. He exuded hostility. I felt it stabbing like knives at my cloak of Shaylin's joy.

"well, well, well. Shaylin Ruede." He commented "walking without a cane now?" he smirked, his eyes canvassing Shaylin's body, obviously.

She stiffened, and my cloak of happiness lessened. I could feel stabbing fingers of hostility coming off the guy. He didn't seem like anyone Shaylin would want to revisit.

"Who's he, the guide dog?" The cashier teased. His nametag read Tom Fletcher. Guide dog? I wasn't sure what the expression meant, but it seemed derogatory enough, being compared to an animal. Not that that didn't happen enough when you turned into one.

"Tom." Shaylin greeted him "This is Aurox. He's one of my friends from the house of night. It's nice to see you." She said, clearly not meaning it. He smirked at her comment, obviously the word see, considering she was blind.

He tilted his head "You can do that now?" he scoffed. "How many fingers am I holding up?" he mocked, flipping out his middle finger. Even I had learnt that that was how you said "fuck you" with your fingers. What I was yet to learn was what exactly "fuck" meant. This far, I had yet to find a context in which it couldn't be used.

"Only the one that describes your personality." She replied coolly. "Now, I'd like to order." She looked at the menu and ordered a couple of hot chocolates and two of the pastries in the window.

"Nice trick. Somehow you're boyfriend has to be signalling to you" Tom replied, automatically assuming that Shaylin and I were together. Why did he do that?

"I'm not-" I started, trying to fix his misconception.

"My boyfriend isn't signalling me. My sight came back." Shaylin cut him off as he passed her two paper cups and a paper bag. Shaylin handed him a bill, I didn't see the denomination, and he handed her a handful of pennies. She smiled and handed me the fistful of change. "Here, thanks for paying, Aurox." She dumped a few hundred of the shiny coppery coins into my pocket. The way her hand brushed intimately against me was… confusing. How did I suddenly become her boyfriend? That much confused me. Not to mention her pretending I'd payed.

"What's to say I'm letting you leave? I can't forget-" Tom made what I assumed was a double entendre, but I had no clue what he was making a reference to.

"The fact that you tried to take advantage of a blind girl?" Shaylin completed his sentence, and the barrier of happiness fell entirely, leaving me subject to the stabbing hostility exuding for Tom. She now looked almost as hostile as he did.

"Now, Shaylin, we all know that's bullshit." He strutted around the counter. "I'll carry your stuff out. You, watch the till." He gestured to the till. I didn't trust him, but I had to guard the register. He stuck her possessions into the car and then pushed her against the doors. I felt her fear hit me. Not to mention the pain upon having her bruised side shoved unceremoniously against a car. Trying not to shift, I sprinted out.

"Get off her, Tom!" I pushed him down and out of the way. "I can tell you're freaking Shaylin out, and I'm not going to let you do that." I sounded tougher than I felt as I fought with myself to stay sane.

He laughed "Shaylin is none of your business." He explained. "and you don't know shit about her. If you did, you wouldn't be here helping her lying ass." He drawled out the last two words.

I turned to her. "Get into the car. This isn't going to be pretty." I whispered. Shaylin obeyed, looking afraid. I saw the murderous look in my eyes and froze. Why was I protective of Shaylin? The answer came quickly, because she seemed to understand. Shaylin understood how I was feeling, who I was, because of her powers. I wasn't used to anyone in this short life who could look me in the eyes and see a man and not a monster.

She got in, and I saw her light her water candle. I felt it's calming immediately, like it was rippling through my thoughts. I pushed Tom back, not wanting to get violent "We're leaving now, and you aren't going to mess with my Shaylin." I felt an odd sense of satisfaction there, saying "my Shaylin"

I opened the passenger door and Shaylin and I sped off, her driving faster than before and less predictable. The stress she was feeling, the anxiety was like a sizzling in the air. She pulled over at the House of Night and handed me a beverage.

"Thanks. I think we're even now." Shaylin smiled, and I took a sip of my drink. It tasted like heaven.

"This is good," I commented "we should go again, but somewhere less dangerous. After all, somehow I'm your boyfriend." I suggested, trying to determine what exactly I was supposed to do as 'boyfriend'

Shaylin looked back at me "I'd like that." She unlocked the doors and motioned for me to get out of the car. "but, just as friends would be fine. I had to lie, I'm so sorry."

I felt more relieved than anything at her confession "it works for me, being your friend. Why did you have to lie?" I asked, trying to determine what made Shaylin have to lie.

"Tom has a history of harassing me." She explained "I didn't want to have to deal with him." Shaylin wiped the concealer off her mark "thank you so much for helping me." She smiled.

I repeated her past sentiments by saying "and I'd do it any number of times again."

**Okay, there were some definite changes there from the past version, but I like it. KShade out.**


	2. at the house of night

**Okay, well, after two reviews on this I figured I'd update! Thanks to those who read/ reviewed.**

The next night, I went to classes with all of the fledglings, doing my best to ignore the fear that some of the fledglings felt, watching me. I was supposedly a 'gift' from Nyx to Neferet, ergo now that she was debunked from her role of High Priestess, I was… well… suspicious at best. I didn't blame them, really. I just wanted to find a friend or two, someone to sit with, talk to, that kind of thing. I remembered Shaylin from yesterday. She seemed friendly enough, and she liked me enough to pretend I was her boyfriend. I shuddered as I recalled how protective I'd been of her, the way I'd almost shifted.

I bumped into Damien, who was smiling at Stevie Rae as she said something he found humorous.

"Hello" I said, awkwardly

Damien turned around, smiling at me and running his hands through his dark brown hair. "Hi." He responded, tapping Stevie Rae's arm. She turned around, her curls fanning around her as she turned.

"Oh, uh hi, Aurox. Zoey'll be along in a minute, so you can wait with us." She said cheerily. Why did everyone assume I was there for Zoey!? I didn't even understand who this 'Heath' was, much less understand why that would make me pursue Zoey.

"Can you explain to me who Heath was?" I asked, hoping Stevie Rae would at least give me a slightly helpful answer. "Or, beyond 'Zoey's humanity', anyways." I amended, hoping she wouldn't be as evasive.

"Well" she drawled out the word in her odd accent and looked conflicted about how much she'd say "Zoey really should be the one to tell you." She paused "but I can tell you that Heath was real important to Zoey. She risked her life to save him, the one time." Stevie Rae added

"When was that?" Damien asked, perplexedly

"Just after I rejected the change." Stevie Rae explained "I barely remember what it was like, but I remember Zoey chargin' in to save the day."

I squinted at them, trying to determine what she was trying to get across. So, what I knew was that Zoey had saved me, or my previous incarnation. Heath had been significant to her, somehow.

Then Zoey arrived, and I felt a strong sense of déjà vu when she arrived. From her sleek ebony hair, to her warm hazel eyes, even the exotic filigree tattoos around her face, she looked familiar.

"Hey Damien, Stevie Rae." She stopped short when she saw me, her eyes widening "Aurox!" she blurted "wow, are you staying here?" she seemed excited. Her satisfaction at me staying here was warm and genuine, if a little cloying.

"Yeah, Thanatos gave me the okay" I replied "Her and Shaylin talked, after Shaylin looked at my aura." I explained

Zoey looked excited as Stevie Rae added "He was hoping you'd tell him about Heath."

The archer, Stark cringed a little "remember what we talked about, Z" he whispered

"I'll always love you, Stark, don't forget that." She whispered, and he relaxed a little. I wondered why her warrior and, as I understood it, lover, would feel threatened by my presence.

"So, you wanted to know about Heath?" she asked, sighing slightly. "Here's the thing. Heath was well, important to me, and sometimes I have issues forgetting that you're not him. Or not the same as him." She started to blush.

I looked at her "that would mean far more to me if I knew anything beyond his name and the fact that you saved him once." I explained simply, wishing she'd give me an answer I could actually understand.

Zoey's eyes met mine "The thing is that-" the bell rang, covering up her words, as if perfectly planned that way. I made a noise of derision as the fledglings and vampyres scurried to class. Zoey just left. Fortunately, we had first period in advanced vampyre sociology together. I ran to class, hoping she'd be there, and willing to say something.

I got to class just in time to sit down when Thanatos strode into the room. She looked radiant, like she was glowing with a light that shined from within. Yes, that sounds clichéd.

"Aurox. I'll need you to go help Lenobia rebuild the barn. Zoey, go talk to Sister Mary Angela about having Street Cats arrive." She went on, delegating fledglings to jobs quickly. I noticed Shaylin on the other side of the room, and she waved at me. I waved back.

Then, Thanatos finished her instructions, and everyone went off in different directions. I made my way over to Shaylin, bumping into a haggard looking girl with blonde hair. "Watch where you're going." She snapped "freak." She muttered bitterly as she walked off

Shaylin sighed "ignore her. She didn't mean it. Something's wrong in her life. She's just taking it out on you." As per usual, Shaylin responded with an answer that meant something.

"Where are you going?" I asked her, hoping we'd be headed to the same place.

"Media center" she explained "I have to do some research into True Sight stuff. See if I can find any other vampyres who have it, or at least understand it. Then, I'm going to relay information to Thanatos and call it a day." She explained

"You don't happen to know anything about Heath, do you?" I asked, hoping she'd know something

Shaylin looked apologetic "No, sorry. He was already dead when I came here. I'll ask Erik though, he'll know." She walked off the opposite way as I did. I went outside to where about half the class was helping Lenobia out, clearing debris.

Lenobia acknowledged me quickly "Aurox, good, you're here. Go help get all this debris out. The builders are coming in an hour.

I walked over to a group of fledglings, struggling with a particularly large piece of charred wood and took the end of it. One of them shot me a wary look, while the other two just looked grateful.

"On three, we lift" one fledgling announced "one… two… three!" and I hefted the wood. The weight of the charred beam dug into my hands, as we dragged/carried it out. Once it was outside, and safely away from the entrance to the barn, we dropped it and went in to get more of the wreckage. An hour later, I was sweaty and my muscles hurt., but I had helped Lenobia. She thanked me, and I knew that she didn't consider me a monster, having let me inside her stables. That was worth it, just being considered like another of the fledglings, Nyx's people.

I wondered if Nyx saw me as another of the fledglings, or if I was irredeemable, for killing Dragon. Then, I noticed Shaylin running towards me. Clearly, Nyx had some sort of plan for me, if someone she's gifted so extensively saw me as a friend. Someone with the True Sight.

**Well, I figured I should update this at some point. Expect more soon. KShade out.**


	3. Sing

**Well, I'm on a roll! Here comes more of True Colours. While you're here, take a moment and check out my new story about Erin, **_**Lies for the Liars**_**, which is about what would happen if she was really a double agent and **_**hadn't actually fallen for Dallas's lies! **_

I wondered if Nyx saw me as another of the fledglings, or if I was irredeemable, for killing Dragon. Then, I noticed Shaylin running towards me. Clearly, Nyx had some sort of plan for me, if someone she's gifted so extensively saw me as a friend. Someone with the True Sight saw me as a person, not a vessel.

"Aurox!" she called and gave me a hug, gaining us awkward looks from various fledglings.

I smiled "how was research?" I asked amusedly, wondering how she could have so much energy.

"Forget research! Thanatos gave me permission to take the rest of the day off!" she bounded off towards a common room "We should _so _go play rock band!" she motioned to me to follow and I did, wondering what exactly a 'rock band' was.

Rockband proved to be incredibly difficult. To start, I was trying to play a series of 'notes' on a plastic set of 'drums' and they were flying at me way too fast. Shaylin was sort of a natural at singing, so she kept distracting me with her voice. Shaylin giggled when our respective scores came in, her at ninety-six percent, me at fifty-four.

"Here." She whispered, standing behind me, putting her hands on top of mine. She was so close, her long chocolate brown hair hung in my face, letting me inhale its strawberry scent. God, she smelled nice. Not to mention the way her happiness was like a cloak. She stood the mic up and kept her hands on mine. The song started with just Shaylin singing. The part was eerie almost, and Shaylin's voice sounded beautiful, juxtaposed with the rich voice of the singer. Then, the drum beat started, and she tapped it out with me, still holding my hands.

AS the song progressed, she moved closer toward me. I wondered why she was helping me with this. I looked up at her, to see her fixated on the screen as her voice grew more and more passionate. I could her connect with the song, from the way her voice sounded. It was difficult to explain what it sounds like when someone puts their heart into a song. It didn't matter that rock band's sensor said she missed six notes in the drum beat, or that her pitch was a little too high during one of the notes, again, according to the game.

"Don't want to let it lay me down this time  
Drown my will to fly  
Here in the darkness I know myself  
Can't break free until I let it go  
Let me go!" she moved as she sang it, closing her eyes and making me have to play the drums on my own. She stood up, tilting her head to the sky. I felt her emotions going haywire, the cloak melting into nails that scratched along me with an almost fervent urgency, like she was tearing at herself singing this. I felt as though, from the passion (or pain, I wasn't sure which) laden voice around me, I was going to shift and then realizing that she'd left me alone at the hardest part of the song and sheepishly rocketing back to helping me play.

We did several more songs after that song, but none so striking. The songs all featured cool male voices, none so full of emotion as our second song had been. Shaylin didn't have any more moments where she closed her eyes, or got into the song.

I wanted her to. I felt like I'd seen a new side of Shaylin there. I felt like I'd gotten beneath her skin, metaphorically, to see what she was like beneath everything she was now. This Shaylin wasn't a cloak, this Shaylin was alive and real, with nails that pulled at me to see what she was trying to make me see. What was she trying to show me?

After half an hour, I broached the subject of the song, "Shaylin," I asked "can we do the second song again?"

She paused. "I don't recall which song that was," she said, but I could see the lie in her eyes. I wished I could hear her when she got into the song. That was always so exciting to listen to, even if it stirred the beast a little.

"I might. It was the one where you left me to drum part of it, remember? I know it started with an L," I persisted

The cloak of happiness tore a little "Aurox. That was a mistake. I should never have done that song. It's a long story. If you liked the artist, I can do another song by her though." She chirped, and sang a different song. This one was entirely different, stylistically and in the lyrics. It was about wishing someone would call you for once when they were sober. And Shaylin didn't sing it like she sang the other song. When she sang the other song, she sang it slightly differently from the way the artist did, and with her heart (though she got a seventy eight). Here, she sang it exactly as the original artist had, and meticulously to the second. She also kept herself distant from the song, not connecting as she had before, and getting a ninety-six, despite helping me drum.

It was about three songs later that, in the middle of a guitar solo, Zoey walked in and practically had a heart attack. Shaylin was leaned over me, helping me drum. I heard a choked noise from the door, and my head whipped around, spotting the other fledgling. Zoey looked as though someone had smacked her.

"Shaylin, what exactly are you doing?" she demanded, in a clipped tone that sounded like she was trying not to jump on the red fledgling. Her shock was like an icy breeze that rippled through my cloak, through the tear that Shaylin had made by singing that song.

Shaylin simply paused the song, turned to Zoey and said "Rock band. I'm helping Aurox drum."

Zoey's mouth moved from an 'O' of shock to a hard line. "We need to talk. Come with me into the hall," she said, now pelting me with a rain of frustration, which hit like hailstones.

The two fledglings left the room. I heard things through the thin walls, like "need to keep your hands to yourself" and "doesn't know shit".

Shaylin stomped back in, and let out a loud sigh "That girl is absolutely _impossible!" _she muttered to herself. When we restarted the song, I had to drum on my own. I wondered what Zoey had told her, and what she'd said.

Above all, I wanted to know what she'd been thinking of when she sang that song. I liked the idea that, beneath everyone's façade there was something that brought that kind of emotion out in them. So I was going to have to find that song, and in the meantime maybe… forgiveness. Today had been a lovely distraction, but as I went to sleep, staring up at the ceiling, I thought of the expression on Shaylin's face when she began to sing, and the faces of all the people the beast had hurt, playing through my mind like a symphony of things I wished I could take back.

I would start with the song, and maybe if I could do something to help my friend, I could prove that I deserved a second chance. That's why I spent half the day googling songs and came across his name.

**Well, this all came to me because my IPod decided to go on shuffle on my writing playlist, so thank Nyx for electronics glitches. KShade out, finally.**


	4. Getting to know Heath

**Well, this is the newest chapter of TC… Uh, this is pretty much leaving the fluffy storyline from 30 days behind in the rearview mirror. Shaylin has quite the secret… looking up the lyrics and song won't help you, it's just going to be a surprise either way.**

I would start with the song, and maybe if I could do something to help my friend, I could prove that I deserved a second chance. That's why I spent half the day googling songs and came across his name.

I had tried lyric search after lyric search, until I found it. I'd tried every line I knew, until, with a surge of inspiration, I tried "_here in the darkness, I know myself_". The top four results were all of the song, Lithium by Evanescence.

I read the lyrics, absorbing the words, and hearing the voice of the singer from the provided recording. I didn't understand a lot of what it meant, because I felt like I was missing something. I didn't know what a lithium was or what one did with it. I did hear the conflicting messages, being empty versus masochistic, and choosing to feel pain over nothing. Wanting to discover more music, I clicked on search and looked for songs in the playlist with that song.

Pain by Three Days Grace was the first result, so I clicked on that. It was also about preferring pain to emptiness. I wondered why that was a common sentiment among people, surely, from what I'd seen of agony, wouldn't it be easier to do away with it? Idly, I clicked another song by Three Days Grace, which led me to Breakdown by Seether, which led me to the song.

It was the other song Shaylin had sung, Call me when you're sober. At the bottom was a comment that read simply "Heath, I hope you read this before you drink anymore. I really like you and all, but you're drunk all the time. It's over." The comment was from facebook, but not just any facebook user, _Zoey Redbird!_ At the bottom of her comment was a reply.

"Zo, it doesn't matter who or what you are, I'll always be there for you." And the user at the top of that comment was him. The commenter was _Heath Luck. _As in _Heath was my humanity. _The comments had been sent around fall last year, before Heath died. I clicked his facebook page.

There were photos all over. Heath was a guy with curly blond hair, who looked fairly tall and pretty muscular. He was something called a 'quarterback' on a sports team. The photos of that consisted of running and throwing an oddly shaped brown ball. There were a few pictures of him standing with his friends. Mostly, there was Zoey. Him and Zoey when they were young, a photo of a photo. Zoey when she got an awful haircut, and had almost no hair left. There were Heath and Zoey at her mom's wedding, at a dance, Zoey sitting on a bench, studying, the two of them on a rollercoaster. Then one of the two of them after she was Marked. One of Heath standing with Zoey and her friends, Stevie Rae, Damien, Shaunee, a blond girl who I believed was named Erin, and a guy standing beside Damien whom I didn't recognise. I left Heath's photos, moving to his wall.

I learned about him fast. In September and October, he had issues with drinking, and some girl named Kayla had covered his wall in flirtatious posts. In November he'd posted obituaries for two of his friends, not to mention the one-sided exchanges he'd had with Zoey. By now, pretty much everything on here was about Zoey. Zoey's the leader of the Dark Daughters; Zoey's birthday's coming up; Saw Zoey today, that kind of thing. In the end of December, there was a long post, which I read, taking in every detail.

"Zo, I guess this is it, it hurts too much to love you. I don't know what happened but you haven't called, and I think the imprint is broken. Whatever, it's not like you cared. I could feel what you were doing, Zo. You were cheating on me and enjoying it, despite the fact that you knew this would happen. Was it that vamp guy? I guess I'll never know. I just wish you knew how much I loved you, cause if you were able to do that, clearly you never did." But, predictably, in the New Year was a post that said they were back together. Was Heath masochistic? Did he like going through all this? I kept reading, soon they'd gone off to Italy, as his most recent post, with a picture of him and Zoey together in it.

Then, came the friend posts about how they were 'so sorry' and talking about the good times they'd had together and all that.

Heath had died in Italy. I looked at the clock to see it was noon, and yawned, finally feeling tired. _How had he died? _I wondered as I closed my browser and tried to sleep. My dreams were plagued with the boy I'd seen in the mirror, him and Zoey, who obviously still considered us to be the same guy. I awoke when I almost rolled off my bed, the sound of Heath's voice echoing in my ears.

The clock read 6:23 PM. I sighed, I guess I wasn't going back to sleep. I went to change, when I heard something outside. I ran to the window, ripping back the blinds to reveal… nothing. I wondered who or what could've made a sound so much like knocking on my fourth floor window. I dismissed it as birds, but I was wrong.

At breakfast, I sat down with Shaylin, and then someone with curly black hair and mask-like marks sat down. He looked awkwardly at me, cleared his throat and began to eat. I looked awkwardly back, then at Shaylin.

Shaylin blushed "Um, Aurox, this is Erik, he's the tracker and the drama teacher. We're friends," she explained.

"Ex-Drama Teacher, Thanatos hired a human, she figured nineteen was a little young to teach." He smiled "No more lesson plans!"

"And this is Aurox, he's-" Shaylin began

"Oh, yeah, I heard Heath was back." Erik smiled "damn, the world of Zoey is going to get complicated again." He snickered

Shaylin glared at him a little "Aurox is Heath _reincarnated_. He's not Heath. Keep that in mind, Erik. He doesn't have to be like his last incarnation." She sounded a little determined of that, so I just nodded, wondering why it mattered to Shaylin.

Then, Zoey motioned to me "Aurox, come sit over here." And I remembered that long post Heath had written in December, and how hurt he'd seemed.

It was then, I decided… somewhat. "No. I'm fine here." I replied.

Zoey sighed and whispered something to Aphrodite, who sneered. I just wanted to know how I'd died. No, not quite, how Heath had died and how I'd become him.

**I blame spares/ study blocks for this chapter… thanks for reading and hopefully I'll post more soon… KShade out.**


	5. Thanatos shakes things up

**This is the polar opposite of the way I thought TC would go. Originally it was a light, fluffy short story (maybe twelve-ish chapters) now, it's got the plot for a much longer, and a lot less fluffy fic… I blame chapter three, which was written because of shuffle. **

Then, Zoey motioned to me "Aurox, come sit over here." And I remembered that long post Heath had written in December, and how hurt he'd seemed.

It was then, I decided… somewhat. "No. I'm fine here." I replied.

Zoey sighed and whispered something to Aphrodite, who sneered. I just wanted to know how I'd died. No, not quite, how Heath had died and how I'd become him.

I looked over at Erik, hoping he'd know something, "Erik, do you remember Heath?" I asked.

Shaylin sighed and looked down at her food, not wanting to take a part in this conversation. I could feel frustration emanating off her. She didn't understand my need for information.

Erik smiled bitterly "Oh, I remember him alright," he said, "Like how every time I wound up with Zoey, he had to butt in, not that I care anymore,"

_Okay _I thought, _maybe I shouldn't be asking _another_ of Zoey's ex-boyfriends, _"What I mean is, did anyone tell you how he died?" I rephrased, hoping Erik would help me.

Now Shaylin was really annoyed "Well, isn't this a little morbid for seven PM?" she asked

Erik ignored her, answering my question, "She took him to Italy with her, for some sort of battle. By then I wasn't a part of things anymore. All I know was he died, she shattered, and then Stark had to go get her back. I'm glad _that_ wasn't me,"

The information wasn't terribly helpful. I knew he died in Italy, I kind of figured, since he was going with Zoey and her friends that it was for yet another battle, more than likely with Priestess- ah, Neferet. "Did Zoey tell you who killed him?" I asked.

Erik shrugged, trying to look indifferent. I could tell thinking this much about Zoey took him back, made him remember everything they'd been. Either that, or he was still angry with her. Whatever Erik's emotion was, it permeated the air, but subtly enough I could barely pick up on it. "I'd imagine it was Neferet, maybe even Kalona. He wasn't always good like he is now, assuming he is now," Erik explained, "So, you're really not Heath?" he asked.

Shaylin interrupted the conversation "not in the slightest," she answered for me, sounding equally as determined as she had the last time, defending me vehemently.

"Yeah, I don't know how it works, but I don't have his memories, I don't have his thoughts and I don't think of us as the same person. I just wish I knew a little more about how the last version of me died so I could prevent it this time,"

Erik pointed over to the table the circle was at, mainly at Zoey. "You want to prevent it, stay away from that girl," he finished. I nodded, wondering why I kept getting the same thing from Shaylin and Erik, but the opposite from Stevie Rae.

I looked over at Zoey, who looked innocent enough, looking down at a bowl of cereal, long, black hair hanging in her face, tattoos showing, despite the modest black t-shirt she'd donned. I wondered how this girl could be responsible for the death of my last incarnation. That was something I guess I'd never know.

Later, Thanatos had wanted us to check in about where we were in the tasks she'd given us. Of course, Zoey and Aphrodite were there, though Aphrodite was just leaving. She gave me a glare as she left, her blue eyes boring into mine for a few seconds before she left. Shaylin squeezed my arm reassuringly.

"So, Zoey, did you talk to Sister Mary Angela?" Thanatos asked, looking down at the fledgling, "and is your grandmother in good enough health to come as well?" she asked.

"Street Cats is going to set up an adoption center at our job fair. Sister Mary Angela thinks the nuns being there will make the humans less wary. Grandma thinks she'll be able to come, but we're not sure yet, we were thinking I'd go visit and see if the elements could do anything to heal her," Zoey reported. I wondered why Erik and Shaylin both seemed bent on keeping me from a girl like her, someone who just wanted to help her grandma. She seemed innocent, again.

"She is an intelligent woman. That was my idea in inviting the nuns," Thanatos responded, "And I believe the elements would be a great way to supplement whatever less magickal means she's using to heal herself. You should take Aurox, he appears to get along well with her," she dismissed her. Zoey left immediately after Thanatos spoke, telling me to meet her in the courtyard. The tension in the room augmented.

"Shaylin, how was research? Did you find anything?" Thanatos asked, sounding intrigued. Even in the four hundred or so years Thanatos had been around for, True Sight was probably rare enough to not have appeared in someone until now.

"I found a few things, mainly a cautionary tale about knowing too much about people, that sort of thing. You know, Spiderman philosophy and all that," Shaylin responded.

"_Spiderman Philosophy?_" I asked, uncertain. Would a spiderman not be someone like Neferet, capable of becoming spiders? I shivered.

"With great power comes great responsibility," Shaylin quoted "it's from a movie. We should watch it sometime," she said, humming a theme song a little.

"That would be fun" I responded, thinking about how much I enjoyed spending time with Shaylin.

"Aurox, I wish to speak to Shaylin alone, you need to go with Zoey," Thanatos commanded.

Shaylin winced "good luck," she whispered and I could tell she was uncomfortable with the thought of leaving me alone with Zoey.

I walked downstairs to meet her, humming as I walked, wondering if today, I might finally find out who I was.

**So, this fic just got complicated, note how there are three main characters… it's going to have some complicated decisions between the life Aurox lives now and the life he had as Heath… Not to mention Shaylin's secret. Mwahahah.**


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